Wall hook



E. H. TATE ET AL y ,2,105,062

Jan. ll, 1938.

WALL HOOK Filed Dc. 24. 1955 Patented Jan. 1v1, 1.938

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE WALL HooK Massachusetts Application December 24, 1935, Serial No. 55,398

3 Claims.

This invention relates to `an improved wall hook of the type comprising a strip of metal bent to suitable shape and provided with a pin or nail extending therethrough to be driven into a wall so as to support the hook.

It is an object of the invention to provide improvements in the hook which will facilitate manufacture thereof, will provide for suitable frictional engagement between the pin and the metal strip so as to maintain these two members frictionally assembled, and will facilitate the mounting of the hooks on display cards.

In shaping the metal strips into hook form, automatic machines are customarily employed. While these machines act with a considerable degree of uniformity, the product is subject to slight variations due to variation in the quality or thickness of the metal stock supplied or to other causes. It is desirable that the pin or nail, which is employed with the bent strip of metal, be held in place by frictional engagement with the metal strip, this engagement being such as to hold the pin in assembled relation with the strip but to permit its removalA from the strip if desired.

According to the invention, the lower portion of the metal strip is bentV into hook form, the upper end portion of the strip being formed into a closed loop. A tongue is struck up from the looped portion of the strip in such a manner that the tongue engages the side of the pin which is thrust through a pair of opposed holes in the loop. The tongue bears frictionally against the pin with a pressure which may vary in different hooks owing to slight variations in the shape of the loop, as formed in the machine, as may vary the position of the pin relative to the portion of the loop from which the tongue is struck. The tongue is adapted to yield sufficiently to avoid excessive differences in frictional drag on the pin from such variations in the position pf the pin. This tongue has an additional function of facilitating the assembling of wall hooks on a display card as hereinafter described. In order to maintain the tongue in correct position for frictional engagement with the pin, the extreme end of the upper portion of the strip, which is bent back into contact with the rear portion to form the loop, is preferably supported by suitable means such as a tongue struck out from the rear portion of the strip so as to engage under the end of the strip and support the loop against distortion when the pin is being driven into a wall.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the description (Cl. 20G- 79) which follows and to an illustration of an embodiment thereof in the drawing of which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a metal strip bent into shape and ready to receive a pin. Y

Figure 2 is an elevation of a display card having a complete wall hook attached thereto, the wall hook being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a card having an ear adaptedto be attached to a wall hook.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a card showing a plurality of ears and a wall hook attached to one of them.

As indicated in Figure 1, a wall hook embodying the invention may be made by forming a pair of holes in a strip of metal, striking up therefrom a pair of tongues, and bending the strip to desired shape. As shown, a portion I of the strip of metal is left unbent to serve as the back of the completed wall hook. The lower portion of the strip is bent up to form a suitable hook Il. The upper portion of the strip is bent forward as at l2, and then diagonally rearward and downward as at I3, so that the extreme end I4 engages the forward face of the back portion IIJ so as to complete a closed loop l5. At opposite points in this loop a pair of holesZ and 2l are formed to receive a suitable pin or nail 25. These holes are preferably soV disposed as to hold the pin 25 substantially parallel to the diagonal portion I3 of the loop. In order to support the loop against distortion when the pin 25 is driven into a wall, the lower end I4 preferably engages behind a tongue 30 which is struck out from the back portion l0 of the hook. A second tongue 3l is struck up from the portion I 3 of the strip so as to project into the loop and to bear frictionally against the side of the pin 25. While the tongue 3l may have considerable stiffness owing to the thickness and character of the metal, yet it is Vcapable of yielding sufficiently to prevent excessive friction against the pin 25 when variations occur in the shape of the loop as the hook comes from the forming machine or in the thickness of the pin 25. The tongue 30in supporting the loop against distortion, helps to maintain the tongue 3l in suitable relation to the pin 25 in spite of severe stresses on the loop which may arise from hammer blows when the pin 25 is being driven into a wall.

For convenience in handling and selling wall hooks of this kind, they may be mounted on suitable display cards such as the card 40 illustrated in Figure 4. From the body of the card a suitable number of ears 42 are struck up, each the side of the pin thus coming into frictiona'l:

engagement with the end of the tongue 3| so that the tongue cannot then be withdrawn from the slit 44.

Additional ears or tabs 50 may also be struck up from the card 40 to engage the lower portions of the hooks l and to hold the hooks more firmly on the card, especially hooks of the larger sizes. As shown, the tabs 50 are preferably. located within the hook portion Il, between the parallel wall portions thereof.' 'Ihe tabs 50 .are preferably of such a widthY as to engage tightly between the parallel wall portions of the hooks. This frictional engagement helps to hold the hooks against the cards as well'as to prevent swinging about the tabs 42.

It is evident that various modications and changes may be made in theV invention herein illustrated and described Without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as dened by the following claims.

We claim: s

1. In combination, a wall hook comprising a strip of -metal having an end portion bent into hook form and the other end portion bent to form a. closed loop, a pin projecting throughsaid strip at two points on opposite sides of said loop,

a display card having an ear struck up there- I Vstrip of metal having its upper end portion bent to'form a closed loop, a pin projecting through said strip at two points on opposite sides of said loop, a card having an ear struck up therefrom to project into said loop and to extend along one side of said pin, said strip having a tongue struck upfrom the looped portion thereof to project through said ear and to engage the side of said pin vfrictionally, the lower end of said strip being bent into hook form, and a second ear struck up from said card to engage frictionally in said hook.

3.Y In combination with a display card, a wall hook comprising a. strip of metal having its lower portion bent into hook form and having its upper portion attached to the card so as to hold the wall hook edgewise against the card, and means to prevent side swing of said lower hooked portion of the wall hook on said card, said means comprising a tab upstanding fromsaid card and extending transverselyY Within the hook of said lower portion fromr one opposingv face to the other, the side edges of said tab being substantially in contact Withsaid opposing faces respectively. j;

EDWARD H. TATE. FRANK E. B. TATE. CHRISTOPHER TATE. 

